Shloka 16
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
षष्ठे काले मया55हार: प्राप्तोड्यमनुजस्तव । नाहमेन॑ विमोक्ष्यामि न चान्यदपि कामये,महर्षिके शापके अनुसार दिनके छठे भागमें तुम्हारा यह छोटा भाई मुझे भोजनके रूपमें प्राप्त हुआ है। अतः मैं न तो इसे छोडूँगा और न इसके बदले दूसरा आहार लेना चाहता हूँ
ṣaṣṭhe kāle mayā āhāraḥ prāpto ’yam anujas tava | nāham enaṁ vimokṣyāmi na cānyad api kāmaye ||
A serpente disse: “No sexto tempo determinado, de acordo com a maldição do rishi, este teu irmão mais novo veio a mim como alimento. Portanto, não o libertarei, nem desejo qualquer outro substituto em seu lugar.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force of a śāpa (curse/ordained condition) and the ethical tension between personal compassion and adherence to a fixed rule or destiny: the serpent claims legitimacy for its act and rejects bargaining, implying that consequences set in motion must be met through rightful means rather than mere substitution.
A serpent addresses a person whose younger brother has fallen into its power. Citing the rishi’s curse and the ‘sixth appointed time,’ the serpent declares the brother has become its destined meal and refuses both to release him and to accept any alternative food.